Intracranial hemorrhage in adults on ECMO.

Rationale: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use has exploded over the last decade. However, it remains invasive and associated with significant complications, including tamponade, infection, thrombosis, gas embolism and bleeding. The most dreaded complication is intracranial hemorrhage (ICH).

Osteoimmunology: Effects of Standard Orthopaedic Interventions on Inflammatory Response and Early Fracture Healing.

Achieving fracture union is highly dependent on the initial inflammatory phase of fracture healing, which is influenced by both the local and systemic inflammatory environments. The rapidly emerging field of osteoimmunology involves the study of the interactions between the immune system and the skeletal system. Recent research has advanced the current state of knowledge regarding the effects of the surrounding soft-tissue injury, fracture hematoma, and the method of fracture fixation on the inflammatory phase of fracture healing.

Intramasseteric Schwanoma mimicking an isolated cheek mass: Case report and review of literature.

Introduction: Schwannoma is a benign well circumscribed tumor of the nerve sheath and it is mostly localized in the head and neck. Intramasseteric schwannoma represents a very rare entity and a few cases have been described in the literature.

Presentation Of Case: We present a case of an isolated, asymptomatic and slowly progressive right cheek tumor in a middle aged man.

Short- and long-term management of cases of venom-induced anaphylaxis is suboptimal.

Background: Venom-induced anaphylaxis (VIA) accounts for severe reactions. However, little is known about the short- and long-term management of VIA patients.

Objective: To assess the short- and long-term management of VIA.

Use of a tracheal dilator for percutaneous insertion of 27F and 31F Avalon dual-lumen cannulae for veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults.

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be performed either by two cannulae or by a single dual-lumen cannula. The dual-lumen cannulation configuration offers multiple advantages: it avoids the femoral site which may be at greater risk of infection, it improves patient mobility, eases prone positioning and greatly reduces recirculation. The Avalon was the first commercially available dual-lumen cannula for adults.

How Can Eastern/Southern Mediterranean Countries Resolve Quality and Safety Issues in Transfusion Medicine?

Unlike their Western counterparts, some of the Eastern/Southern Mediterranean countries lack centralized coordinated blood transfusion services leading to an unequal blood safety level. This was recently highlighted by a recent World Health Organization (WHO) regional committee report in which WHO urges these countries to establish and implement a national blood system with well-coordinated blood transfusion activities and to make attempts to reach 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donation. The objective is thus to meet the same levels or standards as Western countries in term of self-sufficiency and blood safety.

Structural heart disease as the cause of syncope.

We described the clinical evolution of patients with structural heart disease presenting at the emergency room with syncope. Patients were stratified according to their syncope etiology and available scores for syncope prognostication. Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate the relationship between etiology of the syncope and event-free survival.

Daily Profiles of Light Exposure and Evening Use of Light-emitting Devices in Young Adults Complaining of a Delayed Sleep Schedule.

A number of factors can contribute to a delayed sleep schedule. An important factor could be a daily profile of light exposure favoring a later circadian phase. This study aimed to compare light exposure between 14 young adults complaining of a delayed sleep schedule and 14 matched controls and to identify possible associations between habitual light exposure and circadian phase.

Mechanical ventilation modulates pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in spinal cord tissue after injury in rats.

Rationale: Spinal cord injury (SCI) may induce significant respiratory muscle weakness and paralysis, which in turn may cause a patient to require ventilator support. Central nervous system alterations can also exacerbate local inflammatory responses with immune cell infiltration leading to additional risk of inflammation at the injury site. Although mechanical ventilation is the traditional treatment for respiratory insufficiency, evidence has shown that it may directly affect distant organs through systemic inflammation.

Inductive reasoning and doubt in obsessive compulsive disorder.

Background And Objectives: Previous studies show that individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) accord more importance than healthy controls (HC) to alternative conclusions, resulting in increased doubt regarding an initial conclusion. The goal of the present study was to replicate and extend this finding.

Methods: Eighteen participants diagnosed with OCD and 16 HC completed the Reasoning with Inductive Arguments Task (RIAT), which operationalizes doubt as change in confidence towards a conclusion after alternative conclusions are presented.

Describing and expanding the clinical phenotype of anti-MDA5-associated rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease: case series of nine Canadian patients and literature review.

Objective: To describe and expand the phenotype of anti-MDA5-associated rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (MDA5-RPILD) in Canadian patients.

Method: All proven cases of MDA5-RPILD hospitalized in the University of Montreal's affiliated centres from 2004 to 2015 were selected for inclusion.

Results: Of nine consecutive patients, RPILD was the presenting manifestation in seven, whereas two patients developed RPILD 2 years after the onset of arthritis and of chronic interstitial lung disease.

Substantial vertebral body osteophytes protect against severe vertebral fractures in compression.

Recent findings suggest that vertebral osteophytes increase the resistance of the spine to compression. However, the role of vertebral osteophytes on the biomechanical response of the spine under fast dynamic compression, up to failure, is unclear. Seventeen human spine specimens composed of three vertebrae (from T5-T7 to T11-L1) and their surrounding soft tissues were harvested from nine cadavers, aged 77 to 92 years.

Intracardiac ablation for atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia using a 6 mm distal electrode cryoablation catheter: Prospective, multicenter, North American study (ICY-AVNRT STUDY).

Introduction: Radiofrequency (RF) ablation is effective for slow pathway ablation, but carries a risk of inadvertent AV block requiring permanent pacing. By comparison, cryoablation with a 4-mm distal electrode catheter has not been reported to cause permanent AV block but has been shown to be less effective than RF ablation. We sought to define the safety and efficacy of a 6-mm distal electrode cryoablation catheter for slow pathway ablation in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT).

Nostril Differences in the Olfactory Performance in Health and Disease.

In the past few decades, several olfactory tests have been developed to assess olfactory performance and detect disorders. Contrary to other sensory systems, both nostrils are usually tested together; we hypothesized that monorhinal testing may reveal side differences in sensitivity which may be useful for the diagnosis of olfactory dysfunction. Using the "Sniffin' Sticks" test, we assessed olfactory function of 458 participants (278 healthy controls, 180 hyposmic patients), one nostril after the other, with 3 different tasks.

Differences and similarities in risk factors for postoperative acute kidney injury between younger and older adults undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objectives: Acute kidney injury is a frequent complication after cardiac surgery. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk factors for acute kidney injury in patients ≤60 years of age undergoing cardiac surgery and to compare these risk factors with those identified in patients ≥65 years of age.

Methods: From 2010 to 2012, 1253 patients ≤60 years (mean age 52 ± 9 years) and 2488 patients ≥65 years (mean age 74 ± 6 years) underwent cardiac surgery.

Incidence and Risk Factors of Long-term Opioid Use in Elderly Trauma Patients.

Objective: Evaluate the incidence and risk factors of opioid use 1 year after injury in elderly trauma patients.

Background: The current epidemic of prescription opioid misuse and overdose observed in North America generally concerns young patients. Little is known on long-term opioid use among the elderly trauma population.

Transient Central Diabetes Insipidus and Marked Hypernatremia following Cardiorespiratory Arrest.

Central Diabetes Insipidus is often an overlooked complication of cardiopulmonary arrest and anoxic brain injury. We report a case of transient Central Diabetes Insipidus (CDI) following cardiopulmonary arrest. It developed 4 days after the arrest resulting in polyuria and marked hypernatremia of 199 mM.

What are the long-term results 8 years after sleeve gastrectomy?

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) became the most frequent bariatric procedure performed in France (2011) and in the United States (2013), but studies reporting long-term results are still rare.

Setting: Private hospital, France.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort of 168 patients who underwent LSG between 2005 and 2008.

The Dx-AF study: a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing VDD-ICD to VVI-ICD in detecting sub-clinical atrial fibrillation in defibrillator patients.

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac dysrhythmia. Appropriate detection of AF and early initiation of oral anticoagulation therapy are critical to reduce the risk of stroke. Patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) are at high risk of developing AF.

Neutropenia in kidney and liver transplant recipients: Risk factors and outcomes.

No studies have directly compared the key characteristics and outcomes of kidney (KTx) and liver transplantation (LTx) recipients with neutropenia. In this single-center, retrospective, cohort study, we enrolled all adult patients who received a KTx or LTx between 2000 and 2011. Neutropenia was defined as 2 consecutive absolute neutrophil count (ANC) values <1500/mm in patients without preexisting neutropenia.

Superior non-specific motor learning in the blind.

It is well established that blindness induces changes in cerebral function and structure, namely affecting the somatomotor regions. However, the behavioural significance of these changes on the motor system, and on motor learning in particular, remains elusive. In this study, we used a modified version of the serial reaction time task (SRTT) with auditory cues to assess sequence specific and non-specific motor learning in blind adults and sighted controls, and compare them with sighted controls performing the classic visual SRTT.

Deletion of 12/15-lipoxygenase accelerates the development of aging-associated and instability-induced osteoarthritis.

Objective: 12/15-Lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX) catalyzes the generation of various anti-inflammatory lipid mediators, and has been implicated in several inflammatory and degenerative diseases. However, there is currently no evidence that 12/15-LOX has a role in osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of 12/15-LOX in the pathogenesis of OA.